From Graham, JP, SL Evans, LB Price, and EK Silbergeld

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria can persist in chicken manure that is
intended for use as a fertilizer on farm fields.

Large piles of aging chicken manure to be used as fertilizer on farm
crops can house bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, finds a
study from Johns Hopkins University.

The results raise concern that typical storage conditions may fail to
keep the microbes from reaching people through contaminated food or
drinking water. Poultry manure is not required to be treated before it
is applied to farm fields.

Poultry producers commonly use antibiotics to promote growth of the
chickens. This can lead to bacteria in the chickens' digestive system
becoming resistant to antibiotics. The antibiotic-resistant bacteria are
excreted and wind up in the manure – or poultry litter.

The poultry industry in the United States produces an estimated 13 to
26 million metric tons of manure each year. Much of the litter is used
as a fertilizer. It is stored in huge piles until it is ready to be
spread onto farm fields. Rich in nitrogen, it is also fed to beef cattle
and farmed fish.

The study's researchers examined the survival and the
antibiotic-resistance pattern of two different types of bacteria,
staphylococci and enterococci, in chicken litter. These bacteria are
found in the digestive systems of both chickens and people.

Although the bacteria numbers initially declined in the manure piles,
some survived and increased in numbers again over the course of the
four-month survey.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria were found throughout the entire four
months of monitoring. The resistant bacteria ranged from 0 to 69 percent
of the total bacteria, depending on the strain and the type of
antibiotic against which the bacteria were tested for resistance.

Composting may be a better choice than mere storage, suggest the
authors. Composting more effectively kills bacteria by controlling the
storage environment so that high temperatures occur throughout – not
just in the middle – of the entire pile.

Further studies will be needed to determine if the resistant bacteria
in manure used as fertilizer can wind up in people or if improved
storage/treatment methods are necessary.

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